Tonight's VP Debate: The Foreign Policy X Factors

Tonight's 90-minute vice presidential debate in Danville, Kentucky, will ostensibly give equal treatment to domestic and foreign policy issues, but a spate of recent international events (the Benghazi terrorist attack, "green-on-blue" killings in Afghanistan), and the predilections of moderator Martha Raddatz (the senior foreign affairs correspondent for ABC News) could bring global affairs to the forefront. Here are the X factors to look out for:

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Martha Raddatz as?Referee?

RELATED: Saif Qaddafi Says New York Times Journalists Will Be Freed

Tonight's?format?will include nine 10-minute segments in which "each candidate will have two minutes to respond to an opening question. The moderator will then lead a discussion." Will Raddatz aggressively rebut bogus assertions or sit by passively?? la?Jim Lehrer? Odds are, she won't want to be seen as a Lehrer-esque doormat, and on foreign policy issues, her depth of experience could be deadly for the candidates. "Raddatz has traveled to Pakistan and Afghanistan dozens of times, and to Iraq 21 times to cover the ongoing conflict," according to?her bio. "She was on the last convoy out of Iraq and is the only television reporter allowed to cover a combat mission over Afghanistan in an F15 fighter jet, spending nearly 10 hours in the air on two separate missions."

RELATED: Who's Leading This Coalition?

Joe Biden's Experience

RELATED: All in the Family: The Problem With Qaddafi's Son Taking Over Libya

As the former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with 36 years in Congress, Vice President Joe Biden has a great deal more foreign policy experience than Paul Ryan (even if all of that experience isn't necessarily flattering). By comparison, Ryan's 13 years in Congress have been consumed with domestic budgetary concerns in his role as chairman of the House Budget Committee. When Ryan does talk foreign policy, it's riddled with contradictions about everything from the Arab Spring to Chinese trade, as Slate's Fred Kaplan outlined in August. Biden will have an opportunity to speak from experience and a depth of knowledge, but don't look for him to go all wonky on free-trade agreements and international?tariffs: The line everyone is anticipating is ?Osama bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive."

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Benghazi Terror Attacks

What Ryan lacks for experience he can make up for in current events, which aren't playing out in the administration's favor. Yesterday, a House hearing revealed that State Department officials acknowledged they'd rejected repeated security requests in Benghazi during the weeks leading up to the September 11 attack. How come, and why is the FBI investigation into the killings taking so long?, Ryan might ask. Also, why did the administration?repeatedly?misstate?the nature of the attacks? Expect hawkish rhetoric from Ryan on how Obama's "muddling" foreign policy has projected weakness in the Middle East. Expect Biden to push back that Republican budget cuts put embassy security in jeopardy around the world.?

Afghanistan

The uptick in so-called "green-on-blue" attacks by Afghan national security forces have deteriorated morale and jeopardized NATO's withdrawal strategy. That said, there aren't many differences between the two candidates on Afghanistan. Both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama support a withdrawal date of 2014. The major difference is that the Romney campaign opposes the fact that Obama announced that withdrawal date ahead of time, which allegedly gave the Taliban a signal they could wait this out. The Obama administration argues that setting a timeline was necessary to motivate Afghan national security forces.

Sequestration

A major policy position that effects both the U.S. economy and foreign policy is sequestration, or the $500 million in automatic cuts on defense and domestic spending that go into effect in January if Congress doesn't act. This is a foreign policy subject that's right in Ryan's wheelhouse: It involves budgets and numbers and not a lot of history. Still, Biden should be able to hold his own as well.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tonights-vp-debate-foreign-policy-x-factors-183646774.html

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The Meadowbrook Waldorf School Holiday Faire November 17th ...

Each year, our Meadowbrook Waldorf School community comes together to design, plan and execute a Holiday Faire event unlike any other in the area. ?I am happy to announce that it grows each year in size and stature as throngs of visitors flock from the tri-state area and beyond to share our magical weekend.

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With enormous heart and soul, we strive to bring visitors to our campus so that we can inspire them with the ?feeling? of what this amazing season is really?all about.

It?s hard to imagine that there was a time in my adult life that I had begun dread this seasonal celebration. I was highly resentful of the garish display of premature holiday ?shlock? in the aisles of every store I happened to go in months ahead of schedule. The homogenous blanket of ho hum sameness seemed as empty and soul-less as the eyes of the mass produced ?gifts? ?that sat waiting forlornly for salvation from instant gratification, ?only to be then discarded into the pile of ever growing ?stuff? our culture seems driven to accumulate. ?The ?insanity? of this phenomenon depressed and saddened me, and I know ?now; from the crowds that come and share in our festivities, ?that I was not alone. I think we all long to add the magic and meaning back into this?occasion- and I gratefully found it waiting in the hallways and outdoors of our school as it was temporarily transformed to capture the authentic light of the holidays, I urge you to come, bring your family or friends and join us to share in this wonderous occasion.

Important Details:

November 17th: ?Adults only evening; join us at 6:00 PM- 9:00 PM. Bring a new friend to our community and receive?our coveted holiday ?swag bag? put together for our first fifty guests which includes discounts, gift cards, and prizes from area businesses. ?The evening will be a shoppers paradise + bonfire, food, music, and festivities. ?Participate in our live auction and bid on items that will knock your socks off!

November 18th: Family Day- any and all can attend a day filled with music, shopping, crafts, events, performances and food. Opening at 10:00 AM / Closing at 4PM

The following is a list of the top eight reasons you might consider joining us this year:

1) This years theme is ?Guiding Light? as we remember the warmth and light that this season brings to our hearts and homes. ?Find beautiful crafts, ?activities, performances, and unique gifts that portray this wonderful theme and explore our beautiful campus decorated to ?light? your up your hearts and bring a smile to your faces.

2) Choose from an unbelievable assortment of gifts and products and handmade items crafted by individuals in our own community. ?These beautiful, timeless, and quality gifts are things you just can?t find anywhere, and they make a long lasting impression on those who?receive?them. Our school store will offer finely crafted european toys and delicacies from around the world to fill your stockings and deck your tree or table. ?We hand pick items that are made by quality craftsmen and women from around the world including housewares, clothing, ornaments, and fineries. Follow our board on Pinterest to get a visual sampling of our magnificent offerings, and don?t forget to ?friend? us on Facebook or subscribe to this blog to stay in touch with our community and learn about our other events.

3) This year we will add a new aspect to your shopping experience in addition to our ever popular school store and our consignment section by adding a new section of vintage accessories, and gently used books and wooden toys. This is a great section of gifts for that hard to buy person in your life who might just appreciate a piece of history by way of a vintage hat, piece of jewelry, wooden toy, book, or a fun handbag or top. This section is a great addition for the hard to buy ?tween? or teen in your life, the antique collector, or super funky fresh individual who can appreciate the up-cycled nature of this type of gift. This section will stand along side an expanded collection of ?dress up? clothing for kids and we?ll have a large dress up box so that you can consider adding to your dress up box at home. Faires, and Pirates- eat your heart out!

4) Our campus will be filled with the scents of yummy BBQ this year in addition to the delicious baked goods, cakes, cookies, and roasted nuts. Plan on filling your belly with the best our community bakers and chefs have to offer! YUM!

5) Our ever popular Gnome Cave will return along with our raved about Marionette Performance which is put on by our talented educators. ?We?ll invite you to dip your own candles and try your hand at some woodworking crafts so plan on bringing the kids for some family crafts and performances and don?t forget to stop and pet the bunnies and allow the little ones to ride the ponies. Oh, and don?t forget the Pocket Lady as she roams among the children to offer treasures in exchange for tickets. She?s a magical being who always adds to the wonder of the experience.

6) Another long awaited addition to our Holiday Faire this year is an Auction that will be filled with products and services that our visitors can bid on. Join us in the excitement that comes with the possibility of placing the winning bid for over fifty + amazing items, ?services, vacations, and gifts.

7) If you want to learn more about Waldorf Education?and what we might have to offer for your own family, ?you can visit with our educational experts and partners who can share way?s in which the Waldorf experience might enrich the lives of your family and children. ?Look for our holiday gift guide?when you arrive to find the room where we?ll be available to answer questions or demonstrate way?s in which our approach might differ from mainstream educational choices. ?Also feel free to read more about the growth of Waldorf Education in the world from the major newspapers and magazines that helped us share our way of teaching and learning with the rest of the world.

We promise if you join us you won?t soon forget the experience, will go home with a full belly and heart and hopefully a sac filled with unique and inspiring holiday gifts for your friends, family, children, and grandchildren.

The following is a list of anticipated gifts, brands, and items:

European toys and games and gifts for all ages including products from Kathe Kruz, Haba, Grimms, Selecta, Ostheimer, Moleskine, Quiver, Red Chair Studio Designs, Peter Zuerner, Om?s by Miquette, Seedling, Kiddo, Bloc, Baby Legs, etc?.

Marble runs, dolls, blocks, stilts, boardgames, accessories, jewelry, dress up, vintage, kitchen play, puppets, science kits, nature kits, sewing kits, collectibles, felt, looms, musical instruments, scarves, cutting boards, stocking stuffers, candles, ethnic gifts, blankets, linens, hand bags, hair accessories, home decor, card games, luminaries, beads, art supplies, crafts, clay, nativities, stockings, ornaments, hats, mittens, carvings, and much much much more!?

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Source: http://www.meadowbrookschool.com/the-meadowbrook-waldorf-school-holiday-faire-november-17th-and-18th-2012

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Google chairman says there will be 1 billion Android devices by next year

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Waitrose re-launches own-label beers, wines and spirits

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Source: http://www.talkingretail.com/news/industry-news/waitrose-re-launches-own-label-beers-wines-and-spirits

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Scientists report ?major decline? of Great Barrier Reef coral

See dozens of wonders from the Great Barrier Reef and other other exotic seascapes, courtesy of the Catlin Seaview Survey.

By Miguel Llanos, NBC News

Calling it the most extensive review of how coral on Australia's Great Barrier Reef is faring, scientists on Monday reported some alarming news: The amount of coral covering reefs there has been cut in half since 1985 and will likely continue to decline unless steps are taken to at least attack the easiest of several factors.

"We show a major decline in coral cover from 28 percent to 13.8 percent" of the entire system, the experts wrote after reviewing 2,258 surveys of 214 reefs within the marine sanctuary.?

"Two-thirds of that decline has occurred since 1998," they added.

John Bruno, a?coral expert who was not part of the study, called the findings "really grim" and reflecting loss even higher than deforestation in the tropics, a topic that generally gets much more attention.

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"In 2007, we first sounded the alarm that the Great Barrier Reef, and Pacific reefs in general, were not as pristine and resilient as a lot of people wanted to believe," Bruno, a marine biology professor at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, told NBC News. "But still, this is really shocking to me."

"This is a really high rate of loss for an entire region," he added. "This is just nuts and it appears to have been sustained over the last five to 10 years. Just mind blowing. I really didn't expect this."

The researchers estimated that tropical storms,?coral predation by crown-of-thorns starfish and coral bleaching accounted for 48 percent, 42 percent and 10 percent of the respective estimated loss in coral cover.

Dave Gilliam and Liz Larson Nova Southeastern University and James Byrne, The Nature Conservancy discuss the large scale environmental program that is underway in Florida's coral reefs.

Coral bleaching, whereby coral expels the tiny single-celled algae inside that provide color,?is?triggered by stress such as warm seas or pollution.

The experts didn't have much faith in quick actions to counter warming seas, storms and bleaching, but they believe it might be possible to reduce starfish populations.

They based their hope on evidence that starfish are linked to poor water quality, and the fact that the northern Great Barrier Reef, which has little starfish predation, showed no overall decline.?

Nutrient-rich waters stimulate plankton, which starfish larvae thrive on, the experts noted, and if fertilizer and other nutrient-rich pollution in the water is cleaned up, starfish populations would decline and coral cover could increase by nearly a percentage point a year, they estimated.?

"Survival of the plankton-feeding larvae ... is high in nutrient-enriched flood waters, whereas few larvae complete their development in seawater with low phytoplankton concentrations," the experts wrote.

Bruno, for his part, said the impact of starfish on the reef is "striking," with the carnivores actually eating away at coral. "They are huge and scary beasts," he said, citing outbreaks in which the starfish "move in massive waves down the Great Barrier Reef like a plague."

Related:?360-degree tours of Great Barrier Reef

The study's authors predicted that without intervention the coral cover on the reef will probably decline up to 10 percent in the next 10 years.

They also noted that reducing starfish is a short-term step that can "only be successful if climatic conditions are stabilized, as losses due to bleaching and cyclones will otherwise increase."

A new report out on the Mesoamerica Reef finds that despite some improvements, more needs to be done to protect the region's coral reefs. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports.

The study by experts at the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the?University of Wollongong?was published in the peer-reviewed Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Bruno called the study "a sea change in the attitude" of the institute, a branch of the Australian government, because it had been "resistant to the idea that the Great Barrier Reef was degrading" ? even challenging the 2007 study he and a colleague published.

"Ten years ago nearly everyone assumed, and argued, that due to its isolation, size and huge biodiversity, the Great Barrier Reef had resisted the decay that the rest of the world's reefs had experienced," Bruno added.

The study follows?a report earlier this month estimating coral cover?in the Caribbean and Florida Keys has fallen from 50 percent of reef surface area in the 1970s to just 8 percent today. ?

More world stories from NBC News:

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/01/14152900-great-barrier-reef-coral-seeing-major-decline-scientists-report?lite

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Reality: ineffable, but impossible to forsake

Read more: "Special issue: What is reality?"

DO WE make reality, or does it make us? Probe the existence of the universe's supposed building blocks - quarks, electrons, neutrinos and the rest - and you eventually end up back in your own mind. Alternatively, discount everything human and settle for "a world without us" - a reality that might also be unknowable by us (see "Reality: The bedrock of it all").

These options are as viscerally unsettling as they are intellectually challenging. Other possibilities - that we live inside a video game, say, or a hologram - are hardly any more comfortable.

But forsaking the notion of reality is not an option, either. Quantum mechanics may be ineffable, but it still makes electronics work. Wars may not "exist", but they still kill people. The wonder of the human condition is that to us, quarks are real. And so is compassion.

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.

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Mosaic Artist Creates New Art Out of Broken China

? cleo mussi

Cleo Mussi's playful and humorous objects are all made out of broken bits of china and porcelain. Found in charity shops, auction houses and factories, she uses the pieces to create something new out of the old.

Mosaics are magical because from a distance they look like solid objects but up close you see the incredible detail that comes from the hundreds of tiny pieces of china that have been painstakingly glued together.

Bonnie Alter/CC BY 2.0

The fragments from old china and broken tea pot handles and smashed plates all have a history and resonance. When made into a new object, suddenly the flowers and figures and bridges and pagodas form something bigger and more complex than the individual pieces.

? cleo mussi

These hands are part of an alphabet series called A-Z Hand Book. She created one object for each letter; each tells a story. The W stands for Waste Not:

"Wasted words spent
selling unnecessary
lifestyles to the
ungrateful Wasted
youth wasted words
wasted life Worried
youth wistful words
working life Welcome
youth wise words
wonderful life."

? cleo mussi

The mix of old and new make the work so interesting. As she says

"I like the fact that within the work you have the whole of our ceramic history. There are bits made here, pieces from China, references to travel and commerce and bringing back fashionable influences and then all that knowledge of how to make glazes and patterns and how to cast things, most of which is now lost? there?s so much information in each piece."

Bonnie Alter/CC BY 2.0

Recently Cleo Mussi had a show in London , with her textile artist partner and was inspired by their tour of Japan.

Source: http://www.treehugger.com/culture/cleo-mussi-mosaic-artist.html

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